The largest postseason crowd in Comerica Park history saw the Tigers win their first home playoff game in 10 years -- and come within a game of the ALCS.
The Tigers beat the Guardians 3-0 on Wednesday and took a 2-1 lead in the ALDS, powered by "pitching chaos," as A.J. Hinch calls it, and clutch hits from Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, two of the first pillars of Detroit's rebuild.
The combination of Keider Montero, Brant Hurter, Beau Brieske, Sean Guenther, Will Vest and Tyler Holton delivered the Tigers' second straight shutout, by the same score as Game 2. There was less drama to Game 3, though plenty of reason to roar for the crowd of 44,885 at Comerica Park.
Greene, the fifth overall pick in 2019, delivered a two-out RBI single in the first inning to give the Tigers the lead. Torkelson, the first overall pick in 2020, roped an RBI double in the sixth to stretch the lead to three. Matt Vierling drove home the second run with a sac fly in the third.
The Tigers' pitching took care of the rest, with Hurter getting credit for the win after going 3 1/3 innings following Montero's 1-2-3 first. Brieske delivered two perfect innings, and Vest worked out of a jam in the seventh thanks in part to a leaping catch by Vierling at third that ended the threat. The Guardians went quietly the rest of the way.
Game 4 is Thursday in Detroit, with first pitch scheduled for 6:08 p.m.